The email was from a whitehouse.gov address, not democrats.org or another political site. (If you were one of the 13 million people on President Barack Obama's campaign email list, you are not automatically on his White House mailing list. You have to sign up for the lists separately.)

The first official White House email was sent in May, and they have since sent emails about Judge Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, United We Serve (volunteer service), swine flu, and most recently, health care reform.

Normally the President's emails are sent once every few weeks, are short, and are action oriented (e.g., "watch this video of Sotomayor's opening statement.") Overall, I've been impressed with the emails and the extent to which they make me feel more engaged as a citizen. The President's emails from the White House avoid the harsh political commentary that you get in GOP or Democratic Party emails.

To Sign Up

Visit the White House email sign up page. All you need to include is your email address and zip code. Name or other contact information isn't required to be on the President's email list. There are also plenty of other ways to connect with the White House including on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Why is this important?

While some will disagree with me, I believe that part of being an informed consumer is being an informed citizen. Like it or not, the government directly affects personal finance and your wealth. And by allowing the White House to contact you via the means you're most likely to receive the information -- for many of us it's email -- you will be more aware of how your finances are affected. And by being aware, you can more easily create change.

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